One of the things that I looked forward to when we went to Manila was to meet some of my blogger friends. The online world is such an amazing place. I've met so many wonderful people thru blogging, plurking and tweeting.
I would have loved to meet all my online buddies but with a hectic schedule, I'm thankful that I got to meet a few of them.
Xingkit was my first meetup. We met in plurk and then when our ka-plurks moved to twitter, we continued our chitchats there. Thru our exchanges, we found out that we used to be a part of the same yahoo community (Weddings@Work). We're not sure if we had an encounter there but we are happy we met somewhere in the blogosphere. She blogs about her mommy adventures and the funny little milestones of her cute daughter (whom I've met too!).
I don't know whether it's the longevity of being tweethearts but the moment we saw each other, it was as if we've been friends for a long time (ang daldal namin haha). She's so friendly that even my mom liked her!
We had lunch at Sbarro and we both love their Baked Zitti. We found out that we are somehow neighbors (her place is like 10 minutes away from where I live in the Phils). It's a comfort that when I visit the Phils the next time, it will be easy for us to see each other again.
Meeting Jane and Julie was like meeting old friends. The minute they arrived at UCC Cafe (Podium) for afternoon tea, we hugged! Like Xingkit, I met them via plurk in 2007 and from then on, we have plurked, tweeted and visited each others' blogs.
When it comes to blogging, Jane and Julie are two of my idols. I'm truly amazed at how dedicated they are when it comes to blogging. Jane blogs about her journey as a yogini, personal thoughts and what's hot and new in the Philippines. Julie blogs about her personal thoughts, interests, passion in special education and homeschooling. She's also a photography enthusiast like me.
When bloggers get together, we can't help but bring out the thing(s) that make our existence in the blogosphere possible. Here's me and Jane, tweeting while chatting.
Jane and Julie introduced me to this delicious dessert at UCC Cafe. I forgot the name but it had apples, apple syrup and cinnamon. I loved it!
Special thanks to Julie for giving me a pearl bracelet. Really sweet and thoughtful of her. I now consider this a friendship bracelet.
I met K when she visited Sydney a year ago and hit it off so when she learned that I will be visiting Manila, she invited me to have lunch and catch up. We've been tweetmates since last year thanks to our common friend, Lena.
It was lovely to see her again. I hope she visits Sydney again soon! Like me, she loves to travel and has a passion for photography.
We had lunch at Bizu Patisserie and I had this yummy pasta with Chorizo.
Two meet-ups in one day. After our lunch with K, dinner was spent with three more blogmates/tweethearts: Tintin, Bea and Twistedsavant. Our dinner was one of the funnest dinner I've had with friends. I don't know if it's because we've been tweetmates for awhile but even if we've come from different worlds, we just hit it off like we've been "barkadas" for a long time. No awkward moments, just fun and laughter all throughout the night.
We had dinner at Kanin Club and enjoyed the sumptuous dishes we ordered. My favourite that night was the Seafood Kare-Kare.
The sweetest thing was being given this Banoffee Pie from Banapple. My heart melted when I saw what was written on the cake (awww). I knew I wouldn't have time to dine at Banapple but thanks to Bea and Tintin, they made it possible for me (and my family) to enjoy this super delicious cake.
Dyanie is another sweet soul I met via plurk. She blogs about her travel and food adventures. We met for early lunch at Bonchon so my Husband and I can have a taste of this famous South Korean-based fried chicken franchise restaurant. Dyanie is like a younger sister to me. Even if she's offline, she keeps in touch by sending me text messages.
Bonchon Chicken is delicious, however, it is not as juicy as other fried chickens that I've tried.
Dyanie gifted me with a Red Velvet Cake from UCC, which my Husband and I enjoyed for dessert after our hearty lunch.
Kenny is another longtime blogmate. It is a wonder how thru our blogs, we got to know and inspire each other. I love how she writes her thoughts, milestones and mommy anecdotes. I admire her passion for collecting the most number of Starbucks Citymug that's why a few days before I left for Manila, I asked her what citymug from Australia she'd like to own.
However, she surprised me by giving me two mini Starbucks citymugs too! Kenny is a joy to be with. She has a bubbly personality and her stories are funny and entertaining.
And another surprise was that she wrote about our meetup here. Awww, so sweet!
I always tell my family how blessed I am when it comes to finding friends online. Other than sharing a love for the blogosphere, I meet people who are genuine and inspiring.
After my holiday in the Philippines, I'm more in awe of our Filipino bloggers. Given that the internet speed in the Phils is not as fast as other countries, I admire the patience and dedication of Filipino bloggers who blog and share their life and knowledge online. Now more than ever, I'm thankful to all my Filipino readers. Maraming maraming salamat! Saludo ako sa mga Filipino bloggers!
